


Happy Birthday

by Katrina_Leann



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Pretty sad, but hopeful-ish towards the end, minor alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9331385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina_Leann/pseuds/Katrina_Leann
Summary: Belle's mother died in childbirth. Her father never recovered from that.





	

"Thank you, my girl."

His hand reached over and Belle held her breath, willing herself to stay still as his hand drew closer. But he never touched her.

Never.

"You look just like her. Sometimes I look at you and see-" he cut himself off sharply, but Belle knew what was coming next.

They'd been through this every year.

His eyes clouded over in grief, his breathing hitched, and he was gone. He was always gone.

"Papa..." she tried - she tried! Tried and tried and _tried_ \- but it was useless. The ticking of the clock seemed louder than usual, her pulse pounding as her heart soared in wild, desperate hope. Maybe this year would be different, maybe this year he'd actually-

"Well," he said, voice choked off and thick with emotion. There it was, right on time as usual. "I suppose it's getting rather late."

It was barely seven, but Belle didn't protest. All the pounding and buzzing had faded away, leaving her feeling empty and hollow. "Of course, Father. I'm sure you're very tired."

That last part came out softer than she would've liked, a dark part of her wanting to inflict just a fraction of the pain that he inflicted on her. Impossible.

The tears welled up to dangerous levels and Belle quickly looked down, not wanting him to see. Not that it mattered. 

He probably wasn't even looking at her.

She heard his chair scrape the floor. A glance up confirmed her suspicion that his gaze was trained to the ground. "Quite tired."

Count to ten.

Tears burned at the back of her eyelids but she refused to let them fall. Not in front of him.

"So I'll see you tomorrow? At breakfast?" She wouldn't. And she knew that she wouldn't. But the stupid, hopeful part of her offered it up like an olive branch every year. Only to end up burned, every year.

He muttered some purposely vague response, fleeing without making eye contact. Shutting her out.

Like always.

~X~

The first thing to hit her wall was a vase. Then a lamp.

The tears had started the minute she'd gotten her door closed and refused to stop even as she tore apart her bedroom. She didn't care anymore.

Neither did he.

Their house was small and there was no way that he didn't hear her crying. But he stayed hidden in his room with his alcohol, taking comfort in the liquid escape. Offering her no comfort in return.

The music box hit the wall next, the top half of it snapping straight off and bouncing onto the wooden floor.

Her body gave out and she collapsed weakly on top of her bed, staring blankly at her ceiling as silent tears burned paths down her cheeks.

Her window rattled.

Belle lifted herself up weakly, eyes trained to the glass and sure enough...

A pair of warm chocolate eyes locked on hers, a matching lithe body expertly climbing through her window.

"Rum," her voice was weak and broken - just like her. Belle pushed that thought away, looking at him almost pleadingly.   

His eyes scanned her room, utter dismay reflected deeply in their depths. "Oh Belle..."

And then he was next to her, kneeling on the ground as he held her in his arms and the dam broke once again.

Her crying verged hysterical, throat raw and sore as sobs tore from it. Through it all he held her, climbed up in the bed next to her so he could hold her better.

Her tears soaked through his shirt.

"It's alright, Belle. Let it out. Let it all out, love, you'll feel so much better."

His voice was soothing even as his words fell on deaf ears. There would be no feeling better, not tonight. So she focused instead on the deepness of his voice, the soft brogue that vibrated his chest. The pounding of his heart.

Her tears finally stopped, the meltdown over.

He didn't move.

Neither did she.

Seconds passed by in muted silence, Belle's eyes feeling like they were lined with weights. Heavy like iron. His body shifted slightly and her arm shot out in panic, holding him to her. "Don't leave! Please, don't leave."

She felt the way his heart stuttered, the deep whoosh of air that left his lungs and stirred the ends of her hair. He'd never stayed the night before. He came through her window and held her as she cried, then left when she was calm enough to register that he was leaving.

She didn't want him to leave. Not this time.

Time seemed to drag by, seconds turning to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to-

"Okay," so softly spoken that she barely heard it, his body relaxing into her pillows. One of his hands ran through her hair.

"Okay?" She breathed, wanting to turn and face him but not having the energy.

A quiet chuckle, "Yes. Okay."

"All night?" She didn't want to push him. But her battered and bruised hopes were starting to rise and she wasn't quite sure that she'd survive getting them trampled again tonight.

"All night," he confirmed, his nose touching briefly to her cheek.

"Thank you," it sounded weak to her own ears, but the words that she wanted to say - that she'd wanted to say for a while - got lodged and stuck in her throat.

"Always," he whispered into her mane of curls, adjusting so that he was lying comfortably and then drawing her into the safe circle of his arms.

_I love you_ , she thought desperately. Belle willed the words to jump from her mind to his, not able to voice them aloud no matter how hard she tried.

Her body, despite everything, relaxed. Taking a deep breath, her mind cleared quite a bit and she cuddled closer into him, tucking her head under his chin. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

She'd been wrong earlier.

When her told her that she'd feel better, she hadn't believed him. But she did. He made her feel better.

He made her feel loved.

"I love you."

Silence.

Her heartbeat bruised her chest, waiting. Maybe she'd misunderstood the signals. Maybe he didn't see her like that, foolish hope on her part.

"I love you too, Belle. Always have," brown eyes fluttered open and he pulled away just far enough to look into her eyes. "I love you, but you need to sleep. Just sleep."

His lips pressed briefly to her forehead, stilling her unvoiced protest. "You'll be here when I wake up?"

Because she couldn't be alone. She _could_ \- but she didn't want to. Not anymore.

"I promise. I'll always be here, as long as you need me."

Her eyes closed, "Forever is a long time, Rum."

"Not with you. Forever isn't long enough. Now please, sleep."

Belle stopped fighting the tiredness tugging at her, allowing her heart to warm with the knowledge that she wasn't alone.

His sleepily whispered, "Happy birthday, Belle," was the last thing she registered before she let the blissfulness of unconsciousness take her.


End file.
